ON THIS DAY: Argentina beats Brazil in 1990

Article by: PAN PYLAS

Associated Press

June 23, 2014 - 11:58 PM

On June 24 in history: Claudio Caniggia slots late winner as Argentina beats Brazil in Turin, Italy, in 1990.

Four years on from his greatest triumph, Diego Maradona was still a force to be reckoned with despite injuries taking their toll. He still had the skill and mental toughness to drag Argentina to its second straight World Cup final. However, from the opening match of the 1990 tournament in Milan, it was clear Argentina was a shadow of the team that won in Mexico in 1986. Losing to Cameroon in that opener ranks as one of the great shocks in World Cup history. Argentina stuttered to the round of 16 where it met its great rival Brazil. Few gave Argentina much of a chance, but against the run of play Maradona engineered a counterpunch. Late on, Maradona mazed through the Brazil defense and found Caniggia, who rounded goalkeeper Taffarel to slot the ball into the empty net and give Argentina a stunning 1-0 victory.